Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-04-28
HOW BURGLARS WORK.
THE MODERN HOUSE BREAKERS
METHODS DIFFERENT FROM OLD.


Intelligence and Education of the Bank
Safe Breakers-How Safes Are Opened.
Picking the Locks Of q Door-Desper-
ate Men.
"W hat would | do in case should be ava
kened at dead of night by burglar forcing
his ltrance into my house!' echoed Inspector
Byrnes to the query of reporter. 81 think
| shall have to answer that by turning the
question on yourself and asking you what
you would do"
what would any sensible man do7" con-
tinued the inspector, thoughtfully Protect
his family, himself and his property, should
say, and let the trespasser take the conse-
quences of his actual or intended felony A
mans house is his CASTLE and the midnight
intruder carries his life in his hands Still,
should hesitate to shoot a man down in cold
blood unless | thought it absolutely neces-
sary."
How do burglars work, inspector-are the
methods of the modern burglar different
from those Of his predecessors in the aftF
altogether so. An old time burglar
would be at a loss to know what do with tho
latest apparatus and tools. The heavy,
clumsy, numbering indictments of twenty
wears ago are substituted bv Hrht simnle
mechanical contriyances that are the vprv
acme of mechanical ingenuity and patient
endeavor"
What kind of tool does the modern burg
lar and house thief use2"
well, of course, the most difficult kind of
3
used by bank men are. necessarily costly and
frequently elaborate. Bank burglars stand at
the top of the profession. Many of them are
men of the very highest intelligence and edu-
cation"
"But the implements used in breaking into
houses"
THE moving jimmy is a simple contriy-
| ance consisting of steel wrench two feet or
longer, with a clasp on one end. From the
| jamh of the door to one of the bars a steel
screw two inches in diameter is stretched.
| Then the wrench is applied to the screw,
| which when turned forces more or less tgrad-
ually according to the pressure applied the
| har aside. At the same time. hy an Ingenious
contrivance, the bar on the opposite side is
| forced away The bars can be thus easily
and quietly forced far enough asunder to
| allow of the entrance of one person at a time
In cases of safe breaking and wherever
| necessary to force an opening into any iron
| box or heavy wooden chest a sIedsre of lead
| cased with steel nr n solid co,n.r la1cra ;s
uspd With either of these sladces a beayv
| blow can he struck with ro more no;sa than n
duh thud in place of the resoundinr c,ack
that would result from the blow Of an ordi-
| nary vooden steel or iron slaara
| "Ip onanipo sofes n macmillan and intricate
| steel d,iu and screw is usad the mower os
forcing which is applied nv nowerfuI Steel
lever One of fine latest tbiu.rs- in i,,,u;as i
a beaptifpIlv noIisbeI staal wa,,ca yi,b :,
sharp cuttine eI,e ON one end and Of hI,,pt
cbsgl like shane Mt the otba, Tho i;r,n,,, i
made in sa,.tinus and vba, tal,on .,,a,, Coz,
he carried in a nockat
Whenever a burglar finds after pictino
| the locks of A door that he is still Kent far
from the promised land by a heavy wooden
ba, ba hores q bol. i, tho dnor ar5 CO.,, III,
crescent "a ~ aworl;nc, and in iifTr tho DO,
| is emf throuph In case of an IRON har the
hole is bored and the bar filed through The
| nrofeSsioual hurolsr out for n hard nirht,,
| work alvavs wears updar h;s coat e]ro,
fiunr over his shoulders b.nr;ps, from, ubioi
are two leather noncbas ono on ai,bor sido
In these he carries his iimmics in sections
! To a belt around his waist is attached hi,
bulls eve lantern, and in it can also be car
| ried of course the numerous other little ar,
ticles which 90 to make up a first class ont
| fit"
DO burglars usually work in hands q,
alone insp4ctor,n
s.JTsusIIy in hands Some very noted bur
lars work alone though The fact is thai
| they don't dare trust each other bav,
! found that if IL safe to assume that who,
| four thieves band toDethar sooner or Iate,
one of them 'soueals,' The old maxim abou
shonor AMONG thieves is all nonsense An1
and all of them will betray each other i
necessary TO help or save themselves IRON
punishment
As a general thing. how do house breakers
effect an entrance to hous4r
.Tbere is no one way. Some burglars in
variabIv enter by IA window. An ordiuar,
Jimmy will pry any window. Others bore (
hole through door and saw omen an anar
turA or tbav for,.e the door anon with
wedge Other thieves ALWAYS enter from tn,
rear of a house. Bars and bolts are no seriou
obstacles to asRillful house breaker The hes
prevention of burglary is the burglar alarm
connected MT every window with the noIir,
station can hardly recall a successful cas-
of burglary where the alarm has been used.
"Almost anv door can be opened by n pro
fessional with Il pair of small nippers, a ben
wire and a small silk thread. The pippers ar
inserted in the key hole, catching the end O
kew. A twist shoots back the lock bolt ant
| il can be easily dispInced By uressinc- ON TN
door the thief locates the bolt. The thread i
attached to the bent wire in the shape of ;